In our Last Stand
by Independent Angel
Summary: Sequel to How Long is Forever? And Retitled: Friends forever, now they're seperated. The LAST of the Jen/Alex FanSeries, the end of the two best friends has now come. But is there any hope for them to live...to stay? CHAP NINE IN! PLS REVIEW!
1. Telephone Call

**Hi, I know you guys really wanted a second sequel, and as in the third story! So here it is, and I might update slowly, because of other stories I have to deal with. Okay? Okay. So here it is – Learning How to Let Go**

_Dear Alex _

_I know we haven't spoken for such a long time, and I know that you've been busy of working with your missions. I'm really sorry for not doing this. But I hope you'll forgive me. But considering what I'm about to tell you, I think you will. _

_On December 2__nd__, I'll be coming back to London! Isn't that exciting? I'll be able to be with you on Christmas and New Years! _

_Don't worry, during these past years, I've been headstrong, so you don't need to worry about me kicking someone and freaking out of a mission. _

_I hope you won't be too busy during these days. The whole point of me coming is because of you! I'm going crazy because of you. Do you still remember when we were eighteen, when my father went ballistic and tried to kill us? _

_If that bothered you, I'm sorry. It's just…that incident really made me realize that you were really important to me. Did that sound cheesy? Yeah, it did to me. Anyway, to lighten things up a bit, I just released my second album, so you've probably heard it…maybe. So, how's Sabina? And Jack? And Ryan? _

_Tell them I miss them to bits. Isn't it hard to believe that Sabina, you, and I are all 26?! It just felt like yesterday when we were in high school! Well, I'll see you in December. _

_With Love,_

_Jennifer Anderson_

Alex Rider sighed as he held the letter once more, reading its words again. It was so close to December. It was November 29, while Jennifer had sent the letter on the 20th. Everyday, Alex would get the letter out, and read what promise she made, just incase it was a dream, and he would never see her again except TV.

He definitely heard her album. It was called 'Don't let go'. He listened to the songs anytime he could. Anytime he wasn't being shipped off to another country or trying to regain some information for the enemy.

But what enemy? Almost anything that caused a little trouble was MI6's enemy.

Alex sighed, leaning back on the sofa, resting his eyes and replaying the dreadful goodbye. He hated that moment. Just looking into her eyes made it unforgettable. But looking at the music videos she was in, it was hard to believe that she was the same person that he said goodbye too.

Alex got up, and looked around the tidy house he had bought for his own. It was more like a mansion. Jack and Ryan were married now, but decided to not let go of Ian Rider's home, but decided to move in.

Sabina had married – early. He was afraid of the thought of what Sabina did, and he didn't dare ask. Her husband – Joey Auris – had visited Alex a few times, and they had became friends. Still, even with his friends surrounding him, his true, best friend was the farthest away from him.

Alex was about to close his eyes again until the phone rang, which made Alex jump. He picked it up, still sleepy. He had just came home last night from Paris, a mission/vacation, and he didn't really get some sleep.

"Hello?" Alex said, dazed, and out of focus. He heard a female chuckle, and now he wondered who this was.

"Wow, did you go on a mission or something? You sound so…tired!"

Alex's sleepiness had disappeared, just hearing the voice over the telephone. His senses where once again alert, and he had leaned against the wall.

"Hey…Jennifer! I'm glad you called. I'm excited you're coming! It's so close now. I just hope MI6 doesn't call me on the day of my girl coming back," he chuckled.

"Hm. Still hung up, aren't you?" Jennifer giggled. Alex grinned.

"Hung up? C'mon, Jen, you know me better than that. You know I still love you!" He exclaimed. He heard Jennifer sigh.

"Duh! That's what 'hung up' means, doofus!" she laughed. Alex smirked, although knowing she couldn't see him.

"I really wish I could see you…" he blurt out.

"Well, you can see me on TV," she joked. "But I can't see you. Isn't that sad?" Jennifer asked.

"Hey, wait a minute; if you're practically a star, then won't paparazzi chase you or something?" Alex asked.

"Alex, please, I'm not even that important. Besides, if someone does, I've got a spy to protect me!" she laughed.

"Jen…will you stop mentioning about my job?" he asked. Jennifer gave a questioning noise.

"I still can't believe you took MI6's offer! I mean, they forced you into it, but now you're actually accepting it?!" Jennifer asked.

"What? I get paid! And if I haven't mentioned it pays very well AND it let me buy a mansion?" Alex laughed.

"Ooh, a mansion! Now I can't wait to come to London!" Jennifer joked. Alex smiled.

"Yeah, when you come, Jack, Ryan, Sabina, Joey, and I will all be there to welcome you back!" he announced. As he said this, he heard Jennifer gasp.

"Wait, who's Joey?"

"Joey is Sabina's husband. She's married…and she became that way at the age of 22…" he said, waiting for Jennifer's response.

"Oh, my, god! She's married?! And at the age of 22?! What the hell was she thinking?!" she exclaimed, hearing Alex chuckle over the line.

"Yeah…weird, hm? Did you know that Jack and Ryan got married?" Alex asked, hearing Jennifer give a squeal of happiness.

"Oh my god, no way! You're lying, right?" Jennifer asked.

"No, I'm not lying. It's weird because almost everyone we know is married, or getting engaged, and both of us aren't!"

"Oh what, you what to get married? To each other," she said, starting to tease.

"Uh…no! I mean, I'm just saying that there's a chance that we will, but the others have done it. I'm not saying that we should," Alex blabbed out, feeling relieved to be able to breathe.

"Ha, ha, okay. I'm just kidding. I mean, there's even a chance that we won't get married to each other!" she said, but realized that Alex didn't think she was kidding, and soon it felt awkward of just hearing silence. Now, she wished she could take back what she said.

"Okay, Alex, I'm sorry what I said…" Jennifer said.

"Sorry for what? Oh, you're thinking about that silence? Something fell and I had to go check what it was. Sorry…and what did you say earlier? I didn't get to hear it," he said.

Jennifer blushed, and tried to think of something else.

"I said there's a chance they might divorce or something," she said calmly. Alex sighed.

"Oh, actually that's true. But I haven't heard of anyone fighting. But hey, do you remember Tammy and Jesse?" Alex asked. Jennifer nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her so she responded differently.

"Oh, yeah, why?"

"Well…they're married."

"What the heck?! To each other?! I thought they were siblings!"

"No, I mean to other people. Well, actually Tammy is engaged…" Alex said, laughing at the freaked out Jennifer.

"God, Alex, you scared the hell out of me!" she exclaimed, panting. He chuckled and sighed.

"You know, I gotta go. Jack and Ryan are coming over, so…"

"Oh, okay. So I'll see you. Love you!" Jennifer exclaimed.

"Love you too," Alex said, while putting the phone down.

Jennifer sighed as she put the phone down, and closed her eyes, still over exciting of her visiting.

"Alex, you're making this harder than it has to be. You're making me wait longer…well it seems longer," she said, talking to herself.

XX

Alex looked at the clock, and smiled. It's the 29th today.

"In three days, I'll have you again. Hopefully, you won't have to leave."

Alex turned on the radio, and heard the song 'Learning How to Let Go' play. Alex smiled, and thought 'I won't have to learn that.'

**Okay, there's chapter one. Please review. If no one does, or there are not a lot of reviews, I might delete it because there are other stories I have to finish. If I finish everything else, I will complete this, and keep writing. But I promise I'll still continue, just please review! THANK YOU!**


	2. Welcome back, again

**Short chapter today! I guess…sorry…have a whole load of homework and I need to get it done before deadline. Grr…**

It was 6 hours after Jennifer had arrived to London. Alex smiled throughout the time. He couldn't believe she was the same person who lost both of her parents and still was Alex's best…excuse me, _girlfriend_.

She had grown into a beautiful woman. She used to have tangled hair, having true excitement in her eyes and sometimes having gashes on her leg because of the sports she played.

She used to dress up as a very revealing teen, but now she was dressing up as a very matured female. Alex had changed too. He was handsome as ever, his hair now falling to his forehead, and almost every girl that saw him wanted to sweep it away from his flirty eyes.

His smile would be able to make a girl go nervous into an instant. The way he was, his personality and the way he could just show how much he could care for someone deeply was amazing.

Jack had changed, too. Her red hair was now cut short; still looking beautiful, and trying everything she could to not look old. Her outfit choices were almost precise, as if ever move was crucial.

Ryan was almost the same – he had been the mature person he was and still had that playful attitude. He acted like an older brother to Alex, making sure he was there for him.

Jennifer looked around Alex's place as Jack and Ryan placed their belonging on the floor to rest temporarily.

"Wow…being an agent for MI6 was worth it, Alex!" Jennifer exclaimed, still spinning around the large living room, examining the shiny wooden floors. Alex took a glimpse of Jennifer, and smiled to her astonished expression.

"Did I ever mention how beautiful you look?" Alex said, passing her. Jennifer blushed, just realizing how much she missed Alex's voice.

"Everyday...but I've always wanted to hear you say it in front of me," Jennifer sighed. Jack giggled like a happy teen.

"Do you have any idea how cute you two look together?" Jack mentioned, going upstairs. After a few short seconds, all three of them heard a sudden shout of Jack's name, obviously from Alex.

"What?" Jack asked, realizing that Alex was warning her. Suddenly an awkward silence happened and Ryan decided to break it.

"So…um…I'm gonna help Jack unpack. Great to see you, Jen!" Ryan exclaimed as he ran upstairs.

Jennifer took her luggage and started heading upstairs. She suddenly realized how heavy it was, and decided to hurry before her arms became two pieces of linguine.

She reached up to her temporary bedroom, looking at the big amount of space and the beautiful waterbed.

"And there's a balcony, too…" Jennifer said to herself. She smiled, sighing.

"Yeah, that's why I gave you this room; the view is amazing!" Alex said, with Jennifer turning her head, seeing Alex at her doorway giving her dazzling smile with a sparkle in his eye. Two words to describe him – extremely attractive.

The people who've made the rumours of Alex weren't kidding; he did have flirty eyes with a smile to match.

Jennifer looked back at the ground, feeling the same feeling she had eight years ago. She walked up to Alex, feeling a weird quiver in her stomach as she neared him. As she finally reached him, Jennifer looked into Alex's eyes and saw the pure innocence in him which made her smile and greater.

"Why did I leave you? It would have been so much better if I didn't. What do you think life would have been if I didn't?" Jennifer said, feeling as if she was talking gibberish.

"What life would like be…aah…life would have been a hell lot easier and I would know that my girl wouldn't leave me…" Alex said. Jennifer giggled, feeling soothed and suddenly felt faint.

"Why is it whenever I look into your eyes it feels like a dream?" Jennifer whispered. Alex smirked, bringing both his hands to Jennifer's sides.

"Well, maybe because life's a dream?" Alex joked. Jennifer didn't pay attention. It was official; she was lost in his eyes, and she knew she had missed him. This was the second time in her life she had to walk away, but hopefully this time, nothing was going to stop her.

"I love you…" Jennifer whispered, wrapping her arms on Alex's strong neck. He held Jennifer tighter, making her giggle once more.

"And why wouldn't you?" Alex questioned, just making a silence between them, while lying in each other's embrace.

Alex decided that staying like that was boring, so he decided to tease her. He moved his left arm onto her right arms, making her gasp, realizing what he was starting to do. He moved his finger up towards her hand, feeling the gentle, soft, and velvet feeling skin of hers.

He turned his head a bit to face hers, kissing her on the cheek while moving his arm once again to her side, tickling her side.

"Alex, stop it! Jack and Ryan are in the room beside us and…" Jennifer said, but stopped when she saw the disappointment in Alex's eyes. Jennifer really didn't want to give in, but just looking at Alex's eyes made her half hearted.

Suddenly, Jack opened the door from her room and walked out with Ryan following, and smirked at them.

"Hey, Jack, do you wanna go to the mall?" Ryan shouted down the hall. They heard and agreement from Jack, while Alex smiled, stilling holding Jennifer. Both of them heard the door close and Alex turned back to Jennifer.

"Now…where were we?" Alex asked, smirked once again. Jennifer sighed.

"You were using your evil skills to persuade me to…" Jennifer paused, suddenly stopping, having an uncertain look on her face.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked as Jennifer looked at her cellphone.

"Nothing! Geeze, you really need to loosen up!" Jennifer laughed, running past Alex. Alex was stunned for a moment until he started chasing Jennifer around the mansion.

"Jennifer, get back here!" Alex called, as she squealed with excitement and trying to jump over obstacles along the way. Alex did the same thing, but almost tripped when nearing Jennifer.

They had circled the living room several times until Jennifer gave up and Alex caught up with her and wrapped Jennifer in his arms. She inhaled, having a relieved feeling on the strength of his body.

"So, I guess you're not so mature, after all," Alex joked, bringing Jennifer in for a kiss. She smiled, hugging Alex again.

"I don't care…as long as you still love me…right?" Jennifer asked. Alex nodded.

"C'mon, let's meet Jack and Ryan at the mall."

XX

They both when to the mall, meeting up with Jack and Ryan. Jack was shopping, while Ryan explained it must have been a mid-life crisis. Jennifer shook her head and said it must have been the time of the month. Alex chuckled, unfortunately knowing what she meant.

Jennifer had gone off to get a coffee, and came back a short while after. Alex had smiled and grabbed her hand, seeing the disappointed looks of passing girls who tried to flirt with Alex.

Jack noticed and giggled.

"Alex, you're 26 and still getting all the girls. When are you going to stop?" Jack joked. Ryan smirked and agreed.

"Yeah…you might as well marry Jen," he said, but regretted it after seeing the look on Jennifer's face. It must have been an issue to her…but Jack new the real reason. The two girls had socialized a lot through the phone, and told each other about their past.

Jennifer mentioned that her sister Andrea, had gotten married early and became pregnant, and finally gave birth. Jack realized that after what Andrea experienced, Jennifer was scared to see what would happen to her. Although…Alex never realized that.

"So, there's a new movie coming out, what do you want to see?" Alex asked. Jennifer shrugged.

"Don't know. But whatever it is…RYAN'S BUYING POPCORN!" she shouted. Jack nodded.

"Yup, you are! Alex, you're paying for the movie…" Jack said.

"Then what are you guys paying for?" Ryan asked. Alex sighed, as if the answer was obvious.

"They're girls, nimrod. Girls don't pay for anything unless they have to!" Alex explained, and then wondered how he knew that.

"Damn straight!" Jack said, and laughed. Jack looked at Jennifer, and saw that she was looking at a guy who looked oddly familiar. Alex had looked back, seeing what Jennifer was looking at. Alex gasped, surprised he was there.

"Is that…" Jennifer paused, and looked at Alex.

"That's Jesse…" Alex added, remembering their friend from high school.

**I lied. It's long. I'm ending it there! If you didn't read the first story, (Perfect Boyfriend) Jesse was one of Jennifer's best friends along with Tammy. Tammy and Jesse are siblings, although I might have not mentioned that in my first story…**

**Review! Or else…deletion….maybe…whatever…..okay? Bye, bye! **


	3. For Real

**I have an AWESOME idea for the story…so you'll be able to read it…he, he….**

Jennifer jumped out of her chair and ran over to her friend, so surprised seeing him again.

"Jesse, oh my god, you're here!" She said, having so much excitement in her eyes. Jesse smiled back at her, then seeing Alex behind her, his eyes grew wider, astonished.

"No way, Alex, you're here too? Wow, we all met here in junior high and now we meet again!" Jesse smiled, chuckling.

Jennifer looked at her old friend, who almost looked as good as Alex did. Jesse had blue eyes, dark brown hair and a fair muscle built.

"So, Jesse, Alex told me that you were married…who's the lucky girl?" Jennifer asked delightfully, but Jesse's expression was confused. He looked at Alex and rolled his eyes.

"Obviously, Alex lied. I'm not married but Tammy is. Well, going to be. I just said that she's getting married before me!" Jesse explained. Alex gave a sheepish smile, just realizing his mistake.

"Oops, my bad!" he said, while Jennifer giggled the same giggle she did back in high school whenever Alex embarrassed himself. It wasn't mean or anything, it just seemed like the kind of laughter that you would hear from an innocent girl.

Jesse gave a stunning smile to Jennifer which caused her to blush. "So, you two married or what?" Jesse asked. Jennifer gasped harshly, coughing.

"NO! Jesse, I just got back form America! Are you kidding? Besides, we haven't even thought of it!" Jennifer exclaimed, astonished he would even ask a question like that.

"Well, I was wondering if Alex was getting engaged…but…um…maybe not to you?" Jesse stammered, seeing the questioning look on Jennifer.

"Jesse, Jen's my girlfriend. Why would…" he said, making the last part of his sentence obvious.

Jennifer looked at Alex in a weird way, as if he just said something completely different. Jesse and Alex kept talking to each other while Jennifer became lost in her thoughts. She suddenly her asked simple question that had a complicated answer: does she love Alex?

They've been so apart for so long that she had lost what it was like being in his arms, looking into his eyes, and just being with him. It felt like a distant memory of both of them actually being together that it was like the broke up.

But had they?

XX

Jack, Ryan, Alex, and Jennifer had went back home. Jennifer had gone straight up to her room instantly, closing it softly. Jennifer took her cellphone and slowly dialed a number she had not used in a long time. She felt guilty for not calling her but maybe this will cheer her up.

"Hello?" A female asked, making Jennifer sigh, hearing one of her best friends again.

"Tammy, hey. Oh my god, I'm sorry I didn't call for such a long time. But Tammy, please, I need your help," Jennifer begged.

"Yeah, sure, what's the problem? Jesse saw you?" Tammy giggled. Jennifer gave an exasperated sigh.

"No…well…we talked, but this isn't about him. It's about…Alex…" Jennifer said, feeling as if she said something wrong.

"Alex? Alex Rider? What's wrong?" Tammy asked, obviously not seeing the problem.

"Well, you know when I went back to America, well….when I came back here; I thought I was in love with Alex. After seeing your brother and talking to him, I…I don't know what to think," Jennifer said, sighing once again.

"Whoa…you don't know?! Jennifer, you're his girlfriend! If you don't know, maybe you should dump him before he asks you to marry him," Tammy said, making Jennifer gasp in terror.

"Oh god, what if he does?" Jennifer asked in horror, scared what might happen.

"Well, if he does…just say no. And if you can't do it right away, ask to have some time then think about…and I guess if you're not sure, tell him. Tell him you're not ready," Tammy explained.

"But Tammy, you have to know; I don't even know if I actually do love him. I mean, he's cute, but…I feel as if he's a different person. But, oh, I don't know I think I do! It's just like high school; you have a major crush on this guy and whenever you see him you could faint, but after awhile, you don't care!" Jennifer said, sitting on her bed.

"Jen, it's December 2! Just relax. It's almost Christmas so that gives you time to spend time with Alex. Look, I live near Alex so maybe I could drop by. Okay?" Tammy asked. Jennifer agreed, and turned off her cellphone.

XX

Jennifer went downstairs, sighing, and saw the three of them watching a comedy movie. Jennifer felt guilty for thinking like this, but she really didn't know.

She sat down beside him, and acted as if she were purely, without a doubt, in her heart still in love with him. She leaned on his chest, but looked straight to the movie. Her mind wasn't paying attention, though. No.

She needed to find out if she was still in love.

"Jen, are you okay? You're not laughing," Alex asked. Jennifer nodded. But when she looked into his beautiful eyes, her heart swelled and she suddenly filled with excitement. She smiled to herself and suddenly knew she was happy.

She was in love.

**Ha, ha, scared you, right? Wouldn't it be wrong if she didn't love him anymore? Well, I'll right soon. Review! Or else…**


	4. 12 more days

**I am so sorry I didn't update! I promise to update sooner, I just need reviews! If you are still reading (and you guys missed me) please review!**

Jennifer had ran downstairs the next day, seeing Jack sleeping on the kitchen island. Jennifer rolled her eyes, and went to the living room, seeing Ryan there, watching TV, and eating a bowl of cereal.

"Ryan, don't you have a home?" Jennifer asked, wondering why he was here. Suddenly, Alex had ran down the stairs, as if he was panicking. At the last couple of steps, he tripped, causing a loud bang that woke Jack up.

She heard Alex faintly cursed and watched him leave the house.

"What happened?!" Jack screamed. Jennifer smirked.

"Um, Alex ran down the stairs, turned into a klutz, made a loud noise, woke you up, swore, and left the house. Typical Alex; you should know that, Jack," Jennifer laughed. Jack sighed, and returned to her sleeping.

"Ryan, do you know where Alex just went?" Jennifer asked. Ryan nodded but he didn't tell where.

"Well, where'd he go?" Jennifer asked.

"Um…I remembered that he woke up, like, at 7…and he mentioned something about MI6," Ryan said, then went back to his TV watching.

"Just like that? It's 9 now, so what was he doing during the past two hours?" Jennifer asked, curiously.

"Tell me when you find out. Oh, and stop asking me questions! He's YOUR boyfriend, your problem!" Ryan yelled.

"Calm down, you spaz, I was just asking!" Jennifer exclaimed as she left the room.

XX

It was around 7pm, and Alex had finally returned to his home. Jennifer had been asking why he been acting weirdly earlier.

"Where were you going?" Jennifer asked.

"MI6 wanted me there, something about a long term project. I had to spend two hours to figure out what it was supposed to do, then I had to get there to explain it to new recruits. Trust me, they're stupid."

Jennifer giggled at that comment and smiled.

"At least you got through with it."

"So, what did you do during the day?" Alex asked, as he got a glass of water.

"Ryan dumped a bucket fully of water in my head, so we had…um…a war," Jennifer said, smiling sarcastically.

"So that explains the bruise on your arm. You didn't break his neck, did you?"

"Maybe…"

Alex spat the water out and looked at her weirdly.

"Just kidding! I would never do that…well, maybe I would, but not the Jack's boyfriend!" Jennifer said. Both laughed but both stopped when they heard something break.

"What was that?" Jennifer asked, whispering. Alex shrugged, put down his glass and walked towards the hallway.

"Jack…was that you?" Alex asked. But he knew it couldn't have been her. She would always yell out 'MY BAD!' if she broke something or if she tripped.

"Ryan…if you're trying to get back at me…this isn't funny!" Jennifer yelled. Alex had stopped right in the middle of the hallway, and saw a figure there, walking, and trying to get out of the window. Alex signaled for her to get back, and she nodded, and grabbed a knife from the kitchen.

Alex had turned on the lights and saw someone in a ridiculous mask. Both began to run, rushing out the streets.

Suddenly, someone had tackled the man, and threatened to slit his throat with a knife.

"Don't move!"

Alex looked closer and saw Jennifer smirking at him. She searched the man's pockets and found an electronic communicator and a 22. Revolver.

"Hey, that's mine," Jennifer said, taking hold of the communicator.

"You have one of those? That looks like mine, you know, the one from MI6," Alex said. Jennifer sighed.

"Long story short; MI5 gave one to me before I left a long time ago. I kept it just incase," Jennifer smiled.

XX

It was 12 days before Christmas, and Alex and Jennifer were putting up the Christmas tree.

Jennifer had walked around it, putting ornaments and decorations while Alex put the lights. Jennifer had finished, and reached into the box to get the angel. Jennifer couldn't reach the top of the tree and began to struggle.

"Almost there…" Jennifer said, but fell backwards. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the harsh impact, but she felt none. Just like before, Alex had helped her out.

"Um, Jen, why not just use a chair?" he laughed, as she sighed.

She finally put up the last piece of the tree, and got down, looking in awe on the beautiful tree.

"It's amazing!" Jennifer laughed. Alex smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yeah, it's almost like the real day. But look up," he said, grinning. She raised an eyebrow and looked up, seeing a Mistletoe hanging above them. Jennifer gasped, and wondered how that got there.

"Who put that there?" she asked, laughing.

"No one else is here…who do you think?" he said. Jennifer smiled and gave him a kiss. She was prepared to leave but Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back quickly.

"Oh no, you're not getting away that easily," he smirked. Jennifer smiled, looking into his eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Their lips met quickly, Jennifer giggling quietly.

To her, this was going to be the best Christmas.

**It's not a long chapter, but the best part is coming really soon…maybe the next chapter. Please review! Although, I still might delete! I don't know. I almost lost interest in this story, but seeing your reviews made me remember the motivation of this story: YOU GUYS!**

**So please review, or else there will be no reason for me to update!**


	5. Rubber ducks, MitsleToes, and Gunshots

**I read through the reviews again for the first, second, and third stories…I got the motivation to continue this story…just put some reviews, please! BTW, you guys rock! No, awesome!**

**AS OF NOW, THIS STORY IS DEDICATED TO ALL OF YOU!**

**I'm thinking of changing the title to "I'll always love you." You tell me. **

A blanket of fresh new snow blanketed the ground, giving people the Spirit of Christmas, putting lights up, planning big parties…but for now, as the days began to shorten closer to the big holiday, Alex Rider and Jennifer Anderson stayed at Jack's place, all of them watching an old Christmas movie.

"Why are we watching this?" Ryan whispered to Jack. Jack nudged him, telling him to stop talking. Alex had wrapped his arm around Jen, as she let her head rest on his shoulder.

"Stop it, Ryan, this is a good part," Jennifer said. All the four pairs of eyes were glued to the TV, watching it intently.

Sooner than anyone hoped, it ended, and it that signaled Ryan to start stretching and get some snacks. Alex smirked at looked Jennifer, who smiled back at him. Jack chuckled at the sigh of them.

"Isn't that romantic? You two practically live in different countries but you're still together? I envy you guys," Jack said. Jennifer sighed and looked through the TV channels.

"That's what happens when the girl you love moves away," Alex said, making Jennifer blush. Jack smiled wider and giggled.

"See? That's what I mean; your lives are practically a fairytale! You guys are like Disney!" she laughed. Jennifer gave a sarcastic laugh, but smiled at the thought of how perfect they looked like to other people. Ryan came back to the room and passed out some chips and random snacks, and they began to watch another Christmas movie.

"What's this?" Ryan asked, finally sitting down. Alex shrugged and Jennifer tried to think of the title. Jack told him to be quiet, and they all forgot about it.

XXX

The movie ended and all four of them just began to talk. They talked for hours; it was around midnight and they were still talking, and when there was silence, Ryan would be the first one to say something really random.

"RUBBER DUCKS!" Ryan shouted, making everyone turn to him. "What? You want to talk, I'll say something random and we'll talk!" he exclaimed.

"Why are you obsessed with rubber ducks?" Jack questioned. Jennifer laughed and Alex just rolled his eyes.

"I am NOT obsessed with rubber ducks!"

"Then what's with the rubber duck collection in your room?" Alex sniggered, making Jennifer laughing. But Jack…she gaped and scream high pitched.

"It's a _collection_! But it doesn't prove I'm _obsessed_!" Ryan defended. Alex sighed.

"Whatever. You're never going to give in so…I won't bother," he said. Jennifer smiled and mentioned about the snow falling heavily outside. Alex gave a smirk.

"Why don't we go outside…just play, throw snowballs…you know…" he said. Jennifer gave him a puzzled look.

"Now? At midnight? Are you crazy?" Jennifer asked. Jack got up and took her jacket and mittens. And opened the door and ran right out, falling down on the deep, soft snow. Ryan raced after her. Jennifer and Alex were left in the living room.

"Let's go!" he said, grabbing her arm. She gasped and began to resist, but he was way to strong for her; he'd have to be to be a spy. She tried grabbing to a wall but nothing worked. A few minuets later he finally got her outside, and Jennifer began to try to warm herself out.

"Alex, it's so cold! Can I please go back inside?" she pleaded. But Alex shook his head and gave a devious smile.

"Not until I get to do this," Alex said and grabbed snow. Jennifer gasped and realized what he was going to throw at her.

"Oh no," she whispered.

"Oh yeah!" he exclaimed as he threw the snowball as she began to run. He had missed by like a centimeter, and since Jen had ran passed Jack, the snowball hit Jack instead.

"Oh crap…" he said, realizing he was in trouble. He ducked as a snowball was thrown at him, and at the same time he picked a few himself. Jennifer threw one at him this time and it hit his leg and that's when he began to chase her.

She squealed and tries to out run him, but since he was a spy he was fast enough to catch up. He wrapped his arms around her petite waist. Alex lifted her from the ground and twirled her around and put her down again. Jennifer was facing Alex, both of their faces really close to each other's. Alex began to lean in when suddenly a snowball hit his face. Jennifer had ducked down in time but apparently Alex didn't know.

"And you couldn't warn me?" Alex sighed. Jennifer giggled lightly and wiped the snow off his face. Alex looked to see who had hit him and saw Ryan smirking. Alex whispered into Jennifer's ear, telling her to duck down when he would look like it would hit her.

He grabbed a bunch of snow, and when Jennifer ducked he threw the snowball at Ryan. It had hit him on the chest near the neck, and some parts of the snow went down his shirt.

"AAAAHHH! IT'S SO COLD! ALEX, WHY THE HECK DID YOU DO THAT?!" Ryan screamed. Jack, Jennifer, and Alex began laughing, and prepared themselves to dodge any snowball flying around. Ryan didn't do anything but run around, trying to remove the snow out of his shirt.

XXX

Alex and Jennifer were preparing to leave. They got their jackets, and Jennifer opened the door. The moment she stepped out, a bit of ice was on the door step and it was slippery enough to cause Jennifer to fall. Jennifer closed her eyes and prepared herself for the painful impact, but it didn't happen.

No, instead she felt to strong arms were wrapped around her, breaking her fall. She sighed, and saw that it was Alex but apparently he turned out to be smiling.

"What's so funny? What; is it because I slipped?" she asked, as she stood up straight. Alex shook his head and pointed up. She looked and her eyes widened.

Mistletoe.

Jennifer giggled and looked back at Alex, and smirked at her. Jack and Ryan saw that they found the hidden plant, and both of them stared at Jennifer.

"It's bad luck to break tradition," she laughed. Alex leaned in quickly and kissed her, and nearly stopped it but Jennifer pulled him back. This time, as their lips touched, Jennifer slightly smiled and suddenly forgot that Jack and Ryan were there.

Jen wrapped her arms around Alex's neck, and Alex had wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her in and deepening the kiss. Jennifer popped back to reality and stopped the kiss. She realized it was good timing too; there were kids who were also playing outside late; their jaws dropped and exclaimed that they would never do anything like that when they grow up.

Another good reason was that Jack and Ryan were smirking, looking like they were about to laugh harshly. And the last reason…she left Alex wanting more.

"C'mon, let's go. It's midnight and it's getting really, really late," Jennifer said, grabbing Alex's hand. Both of them waved good bye to Jack and Ryan, and headed towards Alex's car.

XXX

They had arrived at the front step and Alex began open the door. They suddenly heard footsteps approaching, but it was normal. People always walked passed this way. Jennifer turned around just to be polite and smile, but as she looked, she saw that this man was covering his face with a mask and was wearing a long trench coat.

"Alex!" Jennifer breathed. Alex turned around and as soon as that happened, and man with the mask pulled out a sleek sliver silencer and shot Alex almost immediately. Jennifer screamed in horror and looked at the man if he was going to shoot her too. But instead, he ran off.

Alex had fallen to the ground and Jennifer turned him around, seeing blood begin to stain the pale white snow. Jennifer panted and dialed 911.

She waited until paramedics arrived, trying to stop the bleeding. Tears fell down Jennifer's eyes…it happened so fast. An ambulance carried Alex away, and was she brought to the hospital by a police car.

They began to question her, and she remembered that a few nights ago, there was an attacker, and she assumed that he could be the same one. She waited for hours along with Jack and Ryan, waiting to hear the maybe-dreaded news.

A doctor had come out and Jennifer immediately stood up. Her eyes were red and she sniffled from crying.

"Ms. Anderson, I have mixed news…Mr. Rider is going to make it…if he has surgery. But it's such a slight chance because even with the surgery, he could fall into a coma." Jennifer gasped as the doctor's words echoed through her ears. Jack and Ryan had heard the whole thing, and Jack began to cry.

She knew she had to decide if he should have the surgery or not. The moments passed by like hours…like days.

"Do it."

And with that, she hoped for the best, as she dreamed of the worst.

**I'm ending it here. You're probably in shock now, aren't you? Everything is okay, some romance, cool stuff, and then Alex Rider gets shot! **

**Do you think he lives?** **Here's a teaser, because I want to give you guys a hint and maybe drive you crazy. **

_**"Jesse, say good morning to your almost baby sister!" she said happily. Jesse smiled cutely and shyly said 'good morning'. Everything was happening so fast. What was happening? Alex didn't get it. Was this a dream?**_

_**"Daddy, you promised that we were getting a Christmas tree today!" Jesse said, starting to jump on the bed. She smiled and laughed lightly, sounding like an angel.**_

_**"That's right, you promised," Jennifer said. **_

**I bet you HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON! Please review and the more there will be the faster I will update!**

**So guess these things: Who's Jesse? What's going on? And is Alex Rider going crazy?**

**Review!**


	6. Te amo, Querida

**Sorry I didn't update sooner! Please review and I'll update with a good chapter! Thanx!**

Jennifer sighed as she stayed in her bed. She began to think as if her decision was the right one, or if she just let Alex down. This time the price was the ultimate; a life. _His_ life.

She ignored the phone calls that Tammy, Jesse, Jack, and Ryan gave; trying to make sure she hadn't killed herself for saying to let Alex having a surgery. But to her, she should have died. Jennifer closed her eyes, letting a tear role down her cheek and plop onto the sheets of her bed. She sniffled quietly, finally letting herself lift out of bed.

Jennifer looked around the room, knowing that it wasn't hers; she was sleeping in a room in Alex's house.

She put on a sweater and walked downstairs, letting her footsteps squeak on the wooden floors. She saw the green Christmas tree, still beautifully decorated. Jennifer remembered while he was still here. She remembered that whenever she would walk down, he would be in the kitchen, looking up at her as she smiled back, and she would watch him as he would cook something for breakfast. And while he did that, he would always greet her.

"_Te amo_, _querida_."

That's what he would always call her. _Querida_. She didn't even know what that meant; in high school, she only took French as her language elective, but because Alex was a spy for MI6, he knew around 4 languages, but now he was older, he was getting close to around 12.

Jennifer didn't bother to look up the phrase. She liked the way it sounded, even if he was saying something less romantic than it was. The only thing she figured out, though, was that the phrase was in Spanish.

Jennifer gave a small chuckle as she remembered that. Usually when a man would say something romantically, it would be in a language that sounded better than it would sound in English.

Not that she though that Spanish was un-romantic.

It was just that every time we would watch a romance move, the guy would usually say it in French. But coming from Alex, anything he said was romantic, no matter what he said or what language it was in. Jennifer sighed one more time and walked down the rest of the way.

**XXX**

Alex blinked questioningly, feeling an ache on his head. Did he hit himself or something? Whatever it was, he must have done something pretty violent. Or maybe it was another mission…

Alex had opened his eyes widely know, seeing a room what looked nothing of his own. It was all white, and the sun was shining from the window. His room didn't have his window there. Alex then remembered….

Last night, he was with Jennifer, and he felt pain go through his body. He got shot. Alex quickly felt a scar on the side of his chest. His eyes suddenly widened, starting to panic. How did shots or scars heel like that over night?!

Alex turned around and right at that moment he nearly screamed. He saw someone lying on his bed, but as he looked closely at this person's face he realized it was Jennifer…only a bit older. He watched her opened her eyes, smiling at him as if this was normal.

"Good morning!" Jennifer happily exclaimed, showing off her fabulously beautiful smile. But that wasn't enough to get that out of Alex's head. Why did everything seem so different? Where was he? Why did Jennifer look older?

She sat up, letting the white bed sheet fall from her chest. Alex then stared in shock. He didn't know if it was in horror, though. But he gasped, that was for sure, and looked at Jennifer in her eyes.

"J-Jennifer…you're…you're pregnant!" Alex exclaimed rather loudly. Jennifer gave him a puzzled look.

"Of course. You knew that like, nine months ago," Jennifer said, saying the obvious. Alex was in shock; his body couldn't move, and he couldn't bring himself to say anything anymore.

Until someone burst into the room, of course.

A small little boy ran in, scaring the living day lights out of him. The boy somewhat reminded of himself, but he shook it off and tried to focus on the situation.

"Jesse, say good morning to your almost baby sister!" she said happily. Jesse smiled cutely and shyly said 'good morning'. Everything was happening so fast. What was happening? Alex didn't get it. Was this a dream?

"Daddy, you promised that we were getting a Christmas tree today!" Jesse said, starting to jump on the bed. She smiled and laughed lightly, sounding like an angel.

"That's right, you promised," Jennifer said. She flashed him another fabulous smile. Alex sighed, and tried to make everything seem okay. He didn't want to scare any of them, make them think he was insane. Or maybe he was?

"Uh sure…I'll do it," Alex said, started to get out of bed. Alex looked at the little boy and remembered to call him 'Jesse'. He began to make a mental list:

One, he was married to Jennifer…okay, not too bad.

Two, Jennifer was pregnant. Yes, that one scared him a bit.

Three, they already had one kid named after their best friend, Jesse.

Four, it was Christmas for them, again.

Alex sighed and began to calm down. This was all just a dream. He wasn't going crazy, just having a dream. He looked at Jennifer again, who was getting up and coming towards him.

This was the first time he looked at Jennifer a different way. Okay, not the first, but it was the one of those times that you can't believe it's them and you think it should be someone else but this person is the right one.

"You look so frightened, Alex. What's wrong?" Jennifer asked. Alex sighed. He was going to tell her, but trying to scare her, he held it to himself.

"I'm just excited it's almost Christmas," Alex lied.

**XXX**

Jennifer stayed with Tammy for the rest of the day. Everything seemed so terrible, so horrible, and so unrealistic. She just wanted Alex to wrap his arms around her. She wanted to hear his voice again, whispering in her ear like silk, letting him tell her it was going to be okay even when he didn't know himself.

She missed it when he called her '_querida_.'

Jennifer was now too scared to ask what _Te amo_ or _querida_ meant. She was afraid that it meant something so much to her, it was going to hurt her more because she would never hear it ever again.

Tammy cried along with Jennifer, both letting their sniffles echo across the room. Tammy took out a tissue and passed it to Jennifer.

"Jenny, you know it's not your fault. You're doing everything you can to keep Alex alive. Just please, know that it's not you're fault! Even Alex would say that if he was here!" Tammy pleaded. Jennifer just stared ahead, as if not paying attention.

"But Tammy, he's not here. I think I killed him," Jennifer said, letting her tears fall freely now. Tammy shook her head softly.

"No, Jen, no, you didn't."

Jennifer looked away and stared at a picture of Alex and her, back when they were fourteen. The first time she figured out he was spy. Hah. That changed her life. She was just secretly crushing on him in high school.

Then four years passed, when they were eighteen. It was one of the worst but good years she's ever experienced. She had done something wrong, betrayed him, but he gave her a second chance and forgave her. It seemed he was never out of second chances. Plus, he saved her life, dumped a rich witch, and admitted that he loved her.

Now they were twenty six. They were now grown up, done with university, and just finished. But what she wanted now, what Jennifer thinks she'll never get…it was impossible. Now that she thought of it, it seemed childish to want it.

Jennifer knew she was deeply in love with him, but just like every girl, all she ever wanted was to be married. And to be with him eternally…

Her life would be a fairy tale.

But that was impossible now. Alex was now in a coma, and it was all her fault.

**XXX**

Alex walked outside at the same time Jesse happily followed his father. Alex smiled, chuckling as he watched the young boy. Jennifer walked out of the door, smiling with an angelic smile.

Jesse climbed into the car at the back seat. Alex climbed into the front seat. Jennifer bent down as she looked at Alex.

"Try not to be late, okay, sweetie? I want to make it in time for Jack's Christmas party," Jennifer smiled. Alex smiled at her, too. Maybe this dream wasn't so bad.

"Te amo, querida," he whispered. Jennifer gently blushed as he said this. Her bangs covered part of her eyes, giving her a sense of mystery. He looked deeply into her eyes, remembering the time they had first met.

"Te amo, querido," Jennifer replied. This caught Alex by surprise. Did she know the meaning?

Alex gave a weak smile. "You know what it means?" he asked. Jennifer giggled and nodded at the same time, showing her cheerfulness as what she used to have and be. Alex sighed slightly and turned to the front view, preparing the leave.

**XXX**

Jennifer walked into the hospital halls, walking down with Tammy, Jack, and Ryan. She watched as patients were released and reunited with their families. As though it was supposed to be happy, it saddened her to think that she might not get to do that with Alex.

She might not see him anymore.

Jennifer took a slight turn and walked towards the room that the doctor was leading to them; Alex's room. The doctor slowly opened the door, and the first thing that Jennifer saw was Alex, lying down on the bed, his eyes closed.

He looked so peaceful.

But truthfully, things weren't so peaceful. Her heart was breaking, and it pained her to think this could be her fault, no matter what Tammy, Jack, or Ryan said. Jennifer walked towards Alex, sitting on a chair beside the bed. She sighed, feeling her eyes beginning to water. She looked at him for awhile, first trying to stop the tears.

She slowly took his hand, holding it. That was one of the things Jennifer missed; Alex's hand holding hers, then suddenly he would her towards himself, hugging her. His hands were always warm, but this time, it getting cold.

She faintly heard Jack, Tammy, and Ryan exiting the room, letting Jennifer alone with Alex.

"You know Alex," she began, as if she were talking to him consciously; "you always got my back? And you've got a million ways to make me laugh. You keep my feet on the ground, so I stand strong enough. And when I fall, you're always there…"

She paused for awhile, watching if there was any sign of him moving. When there wasn't, she continued.

"You never get mad when I change the plans. You're never out of second chance. You're always encouraging me, always saying you'll be there for me. And you have. You said you would go to the ends of the earth to find anything I need, and you also said that if he ever left for any reason, there'd be always something to hold onto…us…" Jennifer whispered. No she just wished Alex would wake up.

"But the thing that you said, the one that always got me questioning what it meant, was 'querida'. And the phrase, whenever you smile at me and saw 'te amo, querida,'…I guess I'll never know what it means. I mean, I could ask anyone who speaks Spanish, but I'll never hear it from you," she said, this time a tear falling. She sniffled, and wiped the tear away.

"So what I'm going to say now, Alex," Jennifer started again, "is saying I love you. Alex, you know I love you. I don't care if you can't hear me, but I need you to know that I love you."

Jennifer paused for a moment, trying to see if he would move. But nothing. Jennifer closed her eyes and sighed, and got up slowly. She let her feet take their steps towards the door. Jennifer looked back once more time to see if he would wake up, but once again, still nothing. She left the room solemnly and closed the door.

Then Alex moved.

**I'm stopping it there. PLEASE REVIEW! I worked for **_**two days**_** writing this!**

**Review or **_**I WILL DISCONTINUE THIS!**_

**I don't care if it sounds like a threat. Because if no one is reading it, then **_**I'll stop**_

**But to make anyone review, guess what **_**'Te amo, Querida'**_** means. If you know, **_**don't be a know-it-all **_**and say what it means, and saying everyone is wrong and yadda, yadda, yadda**

**DO NOT USE A TRANSLATOR! IT IS WRONG****! The translator ****doesn't**** get it right, I've tried, it's ****wrong**

**PLEASE REVIEW! YOU GET A COOKIE **_**AND A THANK YOU NOTE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!**_


	7. Dreamer

**Thank you notes to people who reviewed!**

**Pocket Quasar**

**Jousting Elf with a Sabre**

**DragonTyc**

**AD**

**icyslumber**

**II Kaeyne II**

**Adri Jupiter**

**Mrs. Groban**

**Yifei98**

**Thank you so much, I appreciate it! You guys are so awesome, please continue reviewing, and I will update more! (Please try to convince other users to review…lol) Here's the chapter!**

_**CONGRADUALTIONS TO **__**POCKET QUASAR**__** AND **__**ADRI JUPITAR**___

**Yes, Te Amo Querida means…**

_**I love you, dear / sweetheart / dearest one**_

**Querida means either three. 'Dearest one' seems so much more romantic, though. Haha.**

_Tick, tick, tick._

That's all what Jennifer had heard, just waiting in a room, looking through a two-way mirror. Eight men stood on the other side of the mirror, standing silently, holding a number so identify each other.

The clock was irritated Jennifer; it seemed as if it was taunting her. _Pick one, just pick one of them! _That's what it was like. It just wanted her to get on with it, even though her choice was wrong.

She carefully looked each one of these men. They all looked so alike; they seemed so close to match the description of who shot Alex Rider. Jennifer examined each of them closely, and as her eyes reached to the sixth man, somehow something told her he was the one.

Jennifer could imagine him as the shooter. Exactly the height, the looks, the expression. It had to be him.

"Six," she whispered, barely audible. The police guard turned his head, eyeing her.

"Pardon?" he asked. Jennifer cleared the throat and spoke again.

"Six."

The guard nodded and signaled for the men to get out of the room. Jennifer felt tears forming around her eyes, but she fought back hard so they wouldn't drop.

**XXX**

Alex had stopped at a place where people were gathering, seeing a whole bunch of Christmas Trees tied together. Alex watched as snow began to fall, lightly blanketing the streets. Jesse had jumped out of the car, smiling and running towards the place. Alex's eyes widened.

"Jesse! Come back here!" Alex yelled, walking towards him. Jesse turned around and gave another of those innocent smiles. Alex rose and eyebrow and saw what Jesse was running for.

Jack and Ryan were holding their hands, smiling brightly. Jack's eyes widened as she saw Jesse, gasping as she ran towards him.

"Jesse!" she exclaimed, grabbing him up, hugging Jesse pretty tight. "Where's your dad?" Jack asked. Jesse had pointed towards Alex, who looked pretty stunned.

"Jack…Ryan…" Alex said faintly. Ryan smirked as Jack had let Jesse go. "Oh my god, Jack, Ryan, you have no idea how happy I am to see you," he said. Jack gave him a puzzled look.

"Why? Are you a father…again?" she asked. Alex shook his head. No, no he wasn't. At least not yet.

"Jesse looks like he's growing up," Ryan said, hopefully trying to change the subject. Jack giggled and looked at Alex again.

"And so are you. So are you coming to the party?" Jack asked, playing with Jesse again. Alex nodded this time, remembering that Jennifer wanted to go to Jack's party.

"Y-yeah, we are."

Ryan gave Alex a questioning look. Apparently, he was the only one who knew that Alex was acting different.

"What's wrong? You're acting all…jumpy…" Ryan said. Alex sighed.

"Nah. Nothing's wrong," he said, looking at Jesse.

"Is it Jennifer?" Ryan asked. Alex looked at him as if he was crazy but Ryan went on. "You know, if you need another reason why you love Jennifer then it's because she's the only one who can help you out of your problems, she used to be your best friend, she always stays true to you, and…remember that time when you confessed you loved her and everyone heard you?" Ryan smirked. Alex gave yet another puzzled look.

"What?"

"You know, when it was pretty loud, and you kept trying to tell Jennifer you were in love with her, but she couldn't hear you from the roaring crowd, so you kept yelling, the suddenly it got all quiet and that was the same time you yelled 'I LOVE YOU' and…" Ryan went on, but Alex was already sucked into deep thought.

That never happened. When he told Jennifer he loved her, that was when it was raining and she thought he was dating Sabina Pleasure. She was so angry, but he was able to make it all better by confessing he loved her. By confessing he was in love with her.

Everything was so different.

"…well, see you later, okay?" Ryan finished off. Jack and Ryan were leaving now, letting Alex and Jesse all alone.

"Daddy, can we get this one?" Jesse asked, pointing at a tree a few feet away. Alex looked at it; it was beautiful. Probably expensive. Alex smirked, looking at Jesse.

"Of course!"

xxx

It was around 5pm, the sun was setting…well it was set, and Jennifer was waiting out on the porch, watching as Alex had finally come home. She saw the tree that Alex and Jesse brought home and gave a knowing smile. Alex had seen her and looked at her in mock-pleading way.

"Okay, before you say anything, I'd like you to know something; I know you said to come home early, but when I saw this tree, it reminded me what Christmases I had missed…the one without my parents. So when I saw it, I knew this was the tree I always had in my dreams. I'm sorry it took so long to get it down, but please, I hope you understand," Alex said, giving a puppy dog pout.

Jennifer continued smiling and walked towards Alex. She wrapped her arms around him and gave him a peck.

"I know. That's the same thing you tell me each year. And you're such a bad liar; I know Jesse saw that tree first, she chuckled. Alex smirked and kissed Jennifer.

"Ew!" Jesse exclaimed, giving a grossed out look. Jennifer giggled slightly and remembered that their son was over there.

xxx

They had reached the party and Jack and Ryan had greeted them cheerfully. Alex had looked around and saw many familiar faces; Sabina, Tom…everyone he knew from the past years.

Before long, Alex and Jennifer were sucked into a timeless party of fun.

xxx

Alex had gone outside, just looking out to the gleaming stars, looking out the hopes and dreams that he has now and never did before. Yes, it was true; Alex did have everything he wanted; he was happy, all his friends were here, Jennifer was smiling, Jack and Ryan were still together, and Jennifer and he were obviously in love. They had even started a family. But the best part was that MI6 wasn't even bothering him.

Sure he would want to see his parents again, but these things seemed to make up for it. He didn't care if this was a dream. If it was, he didn't want to wake up. He didn't want to wake up and expose himself to a world of pain and doubts.

And he surely didn't want to wake up to a world were Jennifer didn't love him anymore.

Everything here was perfect; sure he was missing a few details, but here, he was never happier. He had never seen the world in this phase, where everything just works out for you.

"Why are you out here?"

Alex turned around and saw Tom with a glass of wine. He was going to be drunk…sooner or later. Alex ignored the fact and paid attention to his friend.

"Just thinking."

"About what?" Tom asked, taking a sip. Alex chuckled.

"Everything; how life got its way like this," he said. Tom smirked.

"Well, it wouldn't have gotten like this if you didn't sacrifice so many things. I mean, it started with dumping Sabina Pleasure, then it lead on to giving up things other people thought were your life. You did everything for Jennifer, and that's why she's convince you're in love with her," Tom said, yet taking about drink.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked, frowning now.

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'? You're acting like all of this was easy! That seeing everybody, having somebody, is easy. You out of all people should know that," Tom explained.

"Are you willing to carry on?" Alex asked, trying to make it sound like a joke.

Tom rolled his eyes. "I mean that ever since you got shot when you were twenty six, Jennifer got so worried and thought you were dead she nearly destroyed herself. But you woke up in time, and stopped her. You helped her from destroying her life. Another one: stopped saving the world so you could marry Jennifer," Tom said. That made Alex jump.

"I…I quit?" Alex said, gaping now. Tom shook his head.

"Yeah. You stopped being the hero to let yourself and Jen have a life. I'd say that was one heck of decision."

Alex sighed, and shook his head. "Unbelievable…" Alex whispered.

Tom looked at him.

"But you knew it was worth it. Because you did that, because you quit, you gave yourself a good life," he said.

**XXX**

Jennifer walked towards her door, hearing mail come through the slot.

_Dear Miss Anderson,_

_This is the clinic that is taking care of Alex Rider. We saw on the computer system that he had moved his arm at around 5pm on Saturday (26 December). _

_This may sound tremendous, but to inform you it's just a slight reaction to sign that he might wake up sooner. _

_Though this letter seems filled with good news, we make in unbearable to make this half of the letter bad. _

_There has been a legal request by the government to…how shall we say it? 'Pull the plug'. This agency will give its regards and concern for your attachment, but they will continue with their decision. _

_Sorry for all the problems. _

_If it's important for you to know whose decision it is, we encourage you to talk to MI6, the people who sent the letter. And for more information to be told, the incident will take place this Wednesday. _

_Kaeberfield Hospital_

Jennifer felt tears run down her eyes, collapsing on the ground.

This was not happening.

**Review, please! There will be another thank you note! Muffins and cookies on the way out! **


	8. We don't have to

**I am SO sorry I didn't update sooner. A thank you to everyone, sorry, I'm kinda lazy to write it out. I'll write it out in the next chapter; and I want to tell you guys, don't worry, there will be action stuff later!! **

**It will be coming soon!!!!! **

**Enjoy!**

Jennifer hardened the grasp on her fist, trying to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. Her hands shook violently, her rage, anger, and confusion rushing through her own veins. Her steps towards the MI6 office caused her to feel like her steps walked through slow motion. Moments after her unexpected visit, people began to gather.

Yet no one stopped her.

Jennifer looked through the glass doors, eyeing them viciously as if daring them to call security…if they had the guts. She then arrived at the glass double door, now entering rudely into Mr. Blunt's office. She saw him shake, startled, and looked at her in utter confusion.

"M-Miss Anderson," he managed to say. Jennifer eyed the old man with pure anger then shifted her gaze to the women standing beside him, Mrs. Jones. Jennifer didn't need to say anything for either of them to know why she was there. But she did anyway, knowing there was always going to be at least one thing they would never know.

"And forever I will be, thanks to you," she hissed, unwillingly still shaking. Mrs. Jones pursed her lips and dared to walk towards Jennifer.

"Ms. Anderson, you must know that we are sorry-"

"For what? Sorry that you made Alex an agent? Sorry you kept making him risk his life, even now? Sorry that this is your own goddamn fault and thanks to you, he's gonna die?!" Jennifer screamed, now letting her tears of rage fall. They were going to be sorry – right after she was finished with them.

"You know you have to let him go," Mr. Blunt replied with his usual no emotion voice. This just made Jennifer even angrier. Her breathing became shallow, but she fought furiously to yell even more.

"WHY?! You _know_ he has a chance to live but you're basically giving up on him! After what's he's done for you, after what he's been through, you're repayment to him is through death?! I cannot _believe_ people like you would run a place like this; to even exist!" Jennifer paused and caught her breath. She waited even longer to make these words sink into their thick skulls.

"Give me one damn good reason why the fuck you're letting him die?!" Jennifer screamed again, not caring her rude language startled the two. Mrs. Jones sighed, now her own eyes filling with tears. It wasn't tears of fear, but of shame. Something that caused Jennifer to soften her threat.

Mrs. Jones pulled a file out of a steel filing cabinet, handing it to Jennifer. She sniffled, wiping a tear out of the corner of her eye. Jennifer, who instead of opened the file, continued to look at Mrs. Jones in a puzzled way.

"It was a request," Mrs. Jones whispered, now beginning to cry as if the news had just hit her; as if she wasn't the one who had sent the notice to Jennifer. Jennifer eyes Mrs. Jones and finally opened the file. It was a bunch of wrinkled papers, filled with notices from the government, the hospital, from MI6…and they were all signed by Alex Rider.

"By…" Jennifer stopped, flipping through the papers. She didn't dare read any of them; it might have contained any information to break her heart. But she didn't have to read; Mrs. Jones told her instead.

"By Alex Rider, yes," Mrs. Jones sniffled again before speaking again. "He…he requested this a long time ago, around when he was 20 or 21. He…" she paused again. "He said that…that…" Mrs. Jones now found herself crying, unable to stop herself. Jennifer now felt sorry for ever yelling at her.

"He said that if he were ever to fall into a serious injury – like a coma – he wanted us to let him go," Mr. Blunt continued, still with his emotionless voice. Jennifer gave him a look of disbelief.

"Liar! Why the hell would he want that?!" Jennifer screamed, her tears running down again. Mrs. Jones now spoke, or more like yelled out, the reason.

"He wanted to protect you!" she screamed, now leaning against Mr. Blunt's desk. Jennifer shook her head, almost collapsing.

"No…no…no, no, no, no…why would I need protection?" Jennifer whispered, looking at the floor instead of whoever she was talking to.

"Do you remember the man who invaded your home? And the one who shot Alex?" Mr. Blunt asked, now in a serious tone. Still, it sounded emotionless.

"Yes…"

"He is the same man; Matthew Entris. He…he is a sniper and assassin who targeted a school in America a few years ago, and Alex was on a mission during college; meaning you were not here to stop him, nor help him. Alex had gone after Matthew, and let's say they had a very dangerous match."

Jennifer looked up, absorbed by Mr. Blunt's interesting – yet toneless – information.

"Alex had managed to get a shot into Matthew's leg, wounding him. Another shot was fired and that shot Matthew's ear. So to wrap this up," he paused, checking if Jennifer was still listening. "It is revenge. Matthew Entris wants revenge. And because he shot Alex, he thinks he's dead. But sooner or later Mr. Entris will find out soon," he said.

Jennifer sighed, dropping the papers on the ground.

"But…but you said he wanted to protect me. This guy has nothing to do with me!" Jennifer exclaimed in disbelief.

"I am guessing Mr. Rider knows you better than you know yourself. Alex knew you would be visiting him constantly, always remaining in the hospital. And if Entris gets into that room, he's going to kill Alex. And knowing Entris, he will kill everyone in that hospital. And if you're there, he'll kill you, too."

Jennifer gasped softly, shaking her head. Her knees touched the ground, her head in her hands. This could not be happening; yet it made all sense. She was almost always in the hospital. She could be killed…

"But…but can you at least give me a chance to do something right? Let…let me go after Entris," Jennifer said, know getting up, standing strong. It was as if she had a new motivation. "And when I kill him…" Mr. Blunt and Mrs. Jones noticed she used 'when' and not 'if'. Mr. Blunt continued her sentence for her.

"We won't have to kill Alex."

**XX**

Alex woke up in the morning, the new morning rays gently touching his cheek. He smiled, suddenly knowing he was happy. He forced to lift up, although it was hard to convince himself about the best gift in the world. He yawned, and turned around the face Jennifer.

But she wasn't there.

At first, Alex didn't exactly care, that is, of course, when he noticed he wasn't in the same bedroom anymore. No, it wasn't; this bedroom was his old one, not the white room with the large window. The door was in its regular place, not the one on the left.

Alex looked around, knowing the bed was a single. Jennifer could have not even fit onto it. Well, she could, but she wouldn't enjoy it.

Alex immediately hopped out of bed and opened the door. The hallway was normal, but as he looked back in, he finally noticed the three new computers on his desk. He ran towards to one of them, seeing files in them. There was a file named 'MISSIONS', and without further hesitation, he clicked on it.

There, on his computer, was a list of places he had been; people he had killed; and what weapons he had used.

"This isn't the same dream," Alex whispered to himself. He was correct; it wasn't the same dream, the same dream that showed what life could had been like if he quit MI6 and married Jennifer. No.

This was a dream that showed what happens when he WORKS for MI6.

**ACTION ON NEXT CHAPTER!**

**Yes, it's true! Jennifer will try to kick ass, if she survives. And Alex? Now trying to survive a world without Jennifer.**

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	9. Nightmare

"I have all my motovation here."

Jennifer Anderson looked down at the picture at her hands, feeling her green eyes soon fill with hard tears. She felt her heart grow heavy, a knot in her stomach as she knew she was going to be in shame. She was going to kill. But it would be worth it, right? Everything was going to alright after this nightmare. She wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

Looking up at the cloudy sky, she sighed solemnly as she blinked away the tears, nearly crying in her state. Her hands quivered slightly as she remembered what she was doing this for, and for whom. There was no one to stop her. There was nothing to stop her. And as she stared at the long-dated picture, she soon let her head become filled with her memories.

"Why can't we just go back to the way things were before?" she pleaded, sitting on the driver's seat of her car. She stared long and hard at the picture, seeing Alex and her looking so happy, so blissful. It almost seemed impossible that she was that happy before; while she was feeling so depressed, she couldn't even get herself to smile. Not even a flinch.

In the small photograph, Alex had one arm wrapped around her, his eyes looking into the camera's direction. Jennifer had her head leaning on his shoulder, her enthusiastic eyes still kept on the photographer. She sighed once again, looking at the date. It was back when they were around fifteen or sixteen, and it was summer time. Odd how time passes by so fast, and there isn't a thing you can do to stop the damn life-ender. It would pass by unwillingly, and you'd just have to live with it.

No matter how heartbreaking.

Turning the picture over, she saw Alex's hand writing, the ink in blue as he wrote a short letter to her. Jennifer couldn't help but let a small tear run from her eye to the side of her cheek, dripping onto her black sweater. Switching her gaze back to the clock and the picture, she read Alex's words before putting them away.

My dearest,

You know that I will always be there with you, no matter what. Know that I will love you forever, and there isn't anything in this world that can stop it. If we are someday to be seperated, keep me in your heart, and I pray you will be okay. Always remember that even though you are in the toughest times, I'm with you.

With love,  
Alex

Jennifer buried her head in her hands, biting her lower lip as a few more flashes of memory had flown through. Sighing, she put the picture away, and turned the engine over. Looking at the glowing clock, she knew that it was around midnight, and that Matthew Entris would be heading towards the base. She only knew that, thanks to the MI6's computer and files. Anything else was completely useless. She began to drive through the long highway, the silence bothering her. Trying to remember Alex's voice, and also remembered his secret knife in the bottom of the seat. Glaring her eyes to the darkness, she had only one thing in mind.

Murder.

XX

Alex Rider walked through the halls of the new-improved MI6, and noticed that a few men were murmuring to each other as we walked back. He gave them suspicious glares, but only one thing ran through his mind over and over again. His palms had gotten sweat and his ehart was pumping faster and faster as he neared the one office that he knew by heart. Yet, it was the one place that he had feared the most.

Everytime he would take a turn, a group of new agents he did not recognize kept giving him strange looks, and Alex responded my giving them death glares. It wasn't the best, but what else was he supposed to do what other people question his presence? As he headed towards the office, Alex reached out towards him and pushed the glass doors open, only to see that the office was empty. Giving a sigh of defeat, he turned on his heel, heading to the exit.

Alex did not get very far as he saw a familiar woman suddenly opening the door, and his heart leapt in both relief and surprise. He tried to give a small smile, but failed to do so as he remembered Jennifer's missing state.

"Mrs. Jones..." Alex whispered, and immediately she snapped her head towards his direction. She gave an uneasy look, holding several folders in her hands. She gave a quick nod and handed them to Alex, and at once he shot a look of confusion. Alex opened his mouth to begin his infinite questions, but Mrs. Jones had beat him to it.

"You ask for the files yesterday?" she asked, heading towards the door. Alex gave a sigh of annoyance and once again tried to protest. Like before, she beat him to it. "The files are in alphabetical order. It dates back to the 1980s, and everything else follows in time then name." Alex let his shoulders loose and this time tried to speak. Fortunately, he did.

"Mrs. Jones, the files for what?" he questioned, and glad he was able to speak. Hm...third time's the charm. Mrs. Jones had given a quizzical look and stepped back towards Alex.

"You know, Mr. Rider," she replied, but gave the same look as Alex had given to the other agents. "The files for Jennifer Anderson?" Alex had then let his eyes widen, feeling his arms going limp as he heard Jennifer's name. His heart thumped again, feeling his mouth grow dry.

"What happened to her?" he demanded, his breathing becoming uneven. He prayed now that nothing had happened to her. Something like that would be just unbearable. Mrs. Jones narrowed her eyes at him and told him to sit down; to calm down. She grabbed a remote from his desk and turned on a suspended TV. And there, on the screen, was a picture of Jennifer. She looked somewhat younger than the last time he had seen her. But it was enough to let Alex lean forward in awe.

"Ms. Anderson was quoted as your best friend when you were a teenager..." Alex widened his eyes at her again in astonishment.

"Ms? Not Mrs?" he demanded, his emotions suddenly in horror. Oh no...in this life, he had not proven his love for her yet. He did not propose to her; he did not marry her. Everything that caused him to be so happy had caused the most unbearable pain that he had ever had to face.

"Mr. Rider, are you alright?" Mrs. Jones asked, noticing his sudden pale colour. Alex nodded and encouraged her to keep going. Knowing this was painful, she sat back on his chair, and shook his head, letting the furthur information sink in. Unfortunately, he was right. Everything was damn screwed.

"I can't believe this..." he told himself. Mrs. Jones decided to ignore the remark and pressed another button on the remote, adding Jennifer's biography onto the screen. To Alex's dismay, he saw things he did not expect to see in her information.

"Jennifer had soon had her father killed in a mission; a conflict that you got caught in between Jennifer and her father. Having that, Jennifer soon had gone into hiding in America - Ohio - and stayed there for three years. She - "

"No!" Alex suddenly protested, his eyes once again widened in pure horror. "No! She didn't go into hiding! After her father died, she stayed at my place for awhile until she returned to Canada to finish her univeristy! Only now, at her age of twenty six, did Jennifer return and she was with me! She did not hide! She stayed in school and came back!" he protested, his heart beating faster and faster. Mrs. Jones shook her head calmly.

"No, she did not, Alex. After her father shot her, she was taken to the hospital with a minor surgery. After that, you had encouraged her to go into hiding in America, which she followed. She did not come back until she was around twenty or twenty one, barely graduating after university. Because of her instincts and her well known knowledge of combat, she was soon hired in MI5, being the leader of the Junior Divsion of Assassination," she said, looking at Alex. He shook his head, sinking to his chair.

"Junior Aivision of Assassination?" he questioned, closing his eyes. Mrs. Jones nodded and continued.

"At her second year of combatives, Ms. Anderson had gone into a major mission in Russia, connecting her to a feud of Japan and the Philippines. During her mission in Russia, half her team was shot down of a new team, injuring her and most of the best combat soldiers," she said, and looked at Alex and pressed another button, changing the screen into something horrifying.

There, it had shown a city being torn apart, explosions, corpses, and the looks and beliefs of hope abandoning them. Alex buried his head in his hands. She had been there?

"Ms. Anderson had soon headed towards Japan for refuge, and hid there for three months. At the time, she had healed as did her soldiers. Heading towards south to the Philippines, she then had arrived at the provinces and gathered up willing troops there. Fighting against the following Russian army. Ms. Anderson had soon realized that the Russians were converting their attacks back to the French Revoltion, only it is not; it is a conflict that was between themselves until Ms. Anderson was sent to kill their leader. When she retreated to Japan, it was only later that a new war between Japan and the Philippines had been started, and she was in the middle of it all," Mrs. Jone had said, flipping the screen a few more times.

"Are you trying to tell me that she did all this?" Alex demanded, shaking his head. Mrs. Jones looked down, as if she was guilting of something.

"Unintentionally," she breathed. Alex widened his eyes again, closing them after as he tried to erase the new painful memories. "But the information become even more dreading. As she tried to escape the two wars, she retreated back to London, only finding that she was so confused because MI5 had abandoned her when she reached Japan. They cut her out of their system, their tracking, everything. Because of this, they were the ones that caused her to become tangled with the mess."

Alex opened his eyes and breathed in slowly. "They...they tried to kill her?" he demanded. Mrs. Jones looked back at the screen.

"Unfortunately. But when Ms. Anderson retreated, one Russian soldier had kept tracking her throughout the year. During last December..."

Alex rose up from his chair and looked at the new screen and saw that there were old newspaper clippings on the screen, showing that there were at least fiven Russian terrorists that tried to kill agents of both MI5 and MI6. Seeing the names of the agents, he soon started to recognize them, and his heart pumped of the executed agents. Mrs. Jones had kept talking but he paid no attention to what she said. Alex looked at the scrolling screen, and soon saw the name of the last executed agent.

Jennifer Anderson.

"...and the most recent had been the worst. People soon realized that she was the one they were looking for. After the murder, the attacks stopped, and everyone knew she was the target. Alex, Jennifer had died because of this. But beyond of this, beyond of all the reasons of why she was killed was because it was partially of you."

Alex looked up at Mrs. Jones and gave a bewildered look. He was too stunned to say anything; he didn't even know what he was going to do right now, although there she was, standing in front of him.

"Because of me..." he repeated. Yet, he already knew why. "I had gone on that mission..." he breathed, and at once looked back at Mrs. Jones. She shook her head, looking at him as if he was crazy.

"No, you didn't. Ms. Anderson did," she said, looking carefully at Alex. He gave a sadden look and sat back on the chair, sighing. Jennifer wasn't supposed to have gone on that mission; the same thing had happened. He had survived, but unfortunately his leader had died. But why Jennifer? Why had he had not gone on the mission? "Jennifer did it because she knew you would get killed," she said, as if reading his mind. Looking up, Alex closed his eyes one more time.

"She's...dead?"

XX

Jennifer pressed her foot on the gas pedal even harder, gripping the wheel as tight as she could, swerving every now and then to avoid the bullet getting hauled at her. She was pissed off, and keeping her eyes on the road was damn harder. Strapped to her waist with a belt was her gun, she threatened to fire it if she could get a second to grab it. She couldn't, of course. She needed to hands because of the icy road.

For the past hour, she had snuck into a secret base, somewhat just like her father's. Surprisingly, she had shot around, but only managed to have killed body guards and scientists that worked for the idiot. And who was firing at right now? The target of hers, the one who she aimed for. Her adrenaline had rushed up to her blood, and tried to stay on the highway and avoid city exits.

Taking a glimpse of the rear view mirror, she saw that they were taking out some large gun. Gasping Jennifer took a sharp turn as she realized that the giant gun was a bomb shooter. Thankfully, Jennifer had gotten the right time to turn, as she saw a blast of where she was just half a second ago. Cursing to herself, she finally reached for her gun.

She spun the wheel, letting the car swerve to the opposite direction, facing the slick, black car that headed towards her now. She aimed at the head of the driver, her hands quivering as she knew this was it; the one who tried to murder Alex Rider was going to die himself. Jennifer waited for two seconds, but something in her gut had told her that something bad was going to happen. He didn't seem to slow down, but gain his speed as he neared Jennifer. Her eyes widened, Jennifer opened the door, jumping out at the same time as Matthew's car smashing into hers, hearing a large explosion behind her as heat had soon burned at her back.

Flipping herself to her back to the ground, she saw that the two cars had been destroyed at the sudden crash. Blinking, she felt confused on why Matthew had tried so hard to kill her. Some sort of pain for Alex, maybe? But as Jennifer moved her gaze around, she saw a shadow moving on the opposite side of the road. Glaring, she knew that Matthew was not dead. Fortunately, Jennifer would have the pleasure of doing it herself.

Standing up, she felt a pain shoot up her leg. Looking down, she didn't see her leg broken but had a giant scrape running down. Blood had stained her jeans, and she felt the sting as the fabric of her pants stuck onto her wound, and she winced in pain as the gun she held was still on her left hand.

"Dammit," she cursed, and looked up back at the irritating shadow. Gripping the gun tighter as she dared to fire it at him. It was perfect; Matthew was injured and he was an easy target. Her shooting practice was even harder than this. Raising the gun on the shadow, she closed on eye as she took careful aim, her anger suddenly slowing down as her mission was soon over.

"This is for Alex, you asshole."

XX

Alex had gone back home, lying down on his bed as the information that Mrs. Jones had sunk in. It was impossible. He had been so happy yesterday; he was married to Jennifer, had a kid, and one in waiting. All of his friends were there. Nothing could have been more perfect. But now, all his nightmares have come true. Jennifer was dead because of him. Even Mr. Blunt was dead. Tom had retreated into Canada, Sabina was too terrified to talk to him, Jesse and Tammy had gone away, and he was now all alone.

Of all the nightmares to come true, why this one? 


End file.
